Choices
by Lori2279
Summary: Lexie made a choice based on the choice she thought Mark made.  But maybe Mark didn't make the choice, maybe it was made for him.
1. Chapter 1

I have been toying with the idea of this story for a while. So let me know what you think.

_Dear Rex,_

_Finally some peace and quiet. I know it's been forever since I wrote but being a surgical resident is a lot tougher than St. Elsewhere ever led us to believe. The last few months have been this rollercoaster of emotions that I'm not sure I'm ready to face._

_First the good emotions; the ones I __am__ ready for. Happiness for others: Enclosed please find some pictures of my new niece. Her name is Zola and she's beautiful. Tell Shane that Meredith would love a drawing of her if he's so inclined and that Dr. Altman really loved the one he did of the picture of her and Henry at the baseball game. I think it's something she's going to be glad she has down the line when the pain lessens._

_Speaking of Shane and his drawings of the people in my life, Cristina loved the Super Surgeon one. Though she wants him to know that she's not really a bang person._

_Arizona loves the drawings I donated to the walls of the PICU. She wants to know if she can hire Shane on his summer break to do a mural for the activity room. I know Roxie wants you guys to visit her this summer and I would love to see you, so hint, hint, nudge, nudge, maybe you could visit and let Shane work his magic?_

_Speaking of work, well, maybe we shouldn't speak of work. Don't get me wrong, I love being a doctor and having a positive effect on my patients. It's working with three ex-boyfriends that get to me. No, that's not true. Alex and Jackson aren't that bad to work with, especially now that they've moved out. They moved out and I'm still living in my sister's attic. (Insert eye roll here) Anyway, it's Mark of course. This leads to the bad emotions; the ones I'm not really ready for._

_What is __wrong__ with me? We were together for a year and then we broke up for a year, during which time I slept with Alex and he slept with Addison, Callie, Teddy, and Reed. Did I mention he slept with Reed __while__ he was sleeping with Teddy? I think I heard something about a threesome suggestion in there somewhere. Then right before he and I get back together he and Callie, who was fresh off her own break-up with Arizona, slept together again and she got pregnant. I swear she is the __worst lesbian ever__. Then I left him again and Jackson and I started seeing each other. Jackson ended it when I accidentally-okay it was on purpose. I hit Mark's new girlfriend in the chest with a baseball. I was jealous. I am jealous._

_Then came the drunken escapade. Or maybe it was an episode. Anyway, I slept with Mark. It was stupid. He was drunk and depressed and I was drunk and I missed him. I left before he woke up because when I woke up it was to the sound of Julia's voice on his machine telling him she wanted to work things out._

_And they did. He's proposing to her. I saw him show Owen the ring right after I got my pregnancy test results. I'm having a baby, Rex. Isn't that great?_

_Okay, Gigi. I know you're standing there, looking over his shoulder. Do not let him buy a plane ticket. Do not let him commandeer the BE jet. I do not want to have to bail him out of jail and explain to my bosses why they are short one plastic surgeon. I also do want to explain to Roxie and Natalie why they can't hit Mark, even though Rex got to. Gigi, hide the credit cards. Hide his passport._

"Lexie?"

Lexie Grey looked up from the pad of paper she was scribbling and saw her brother-in-law looking down at her. For a moment she'd forgotten she was on the bridge that overlooked the front of Seattle Grace.

"Hi Derek," she smiled. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Derek nodded as he sat down next to her. "I'm just wondering what you're doing. I had to call your name a couple of times."

"Oh. Sorry," Lexie blushed. "I was writing a letter."

"Anyone I know?"

"Rex."

"The cousin in London," Derek nodded. "You don't email?"

"We could but this is just something we've always done. I like it because it kind of makes sense to me because of his profession."

"I don't think you ever told me what he does for a living."

"He's a P.I. It conjures up all of these black and white images, you know? A trench coat and a fedora."

"A dusty office with the shadows of vertical blinds on the floor," Derek nodded.

"And a cheesy voice over saying something like 'She blew into my office like a cold breeze on a hot day'," Lexie giggled.

"Nice."

"Noir marathon on AMC last weekend," Lexie nodded.

"Any word from Mark?"

"No," Lexie shook her head.

"I can talk to him," Derek offered.

"No," Lexie shook her head. "I gave him his choices and he's chosen. He apparently does not want a child with me. I didn't ask him to marry me, but I did ask him if he wanted to have a place in this baby's life. He has chosen silence as his answer. So, I'm done."

"What does that mean?"

"Owen signed my transfer papers this morning. I'm on my way to Pennsylvania on Friday."

"Philadelphia?"

"Llanview," Lexie corrected. "Aunt Roxie's there and Llanview Memorial is a great facility."

"Have you told anyone else?"

"I'm telling Meredith when she drops me off at the gate on Friday. Don't worry, I won't tell her you knew already," Lexie promised.

"I appreciate that, but I wish you weren't going."

"I'll be okay," Lexie nodded. "I have a surgery in about an hour and I wanted to finish this before then."

"I'll see you at home," Derek nodded as he got up.

_Rex, you've always had my back, but there's no need this time, because by the time you read this, I'll probably be on my way to Llanview or possibly there already. I gave Mark his choices in a letter of his own. Apparently he has the child he wants with Sophia and he'll have the family he wants when he marries Julia. It's for the best, believe me._

_I hope to see you soon._

_I love you._

_I miss you._

_Lexie_


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry this took so long, I had a hard time with the last part.

"Dr. Kepner, I need a resident," Mark demanded from the red head.

"Sorry, I'm all out unless you want Dr. Mostow here," April motioned to the awkward looking man beside her.

Mark studied him and looked back at April, "Uh, well, what about Avery?"

"Dr. Hunt claimed him for the day. Robbins has Karev, and Bailey has Grey."

"What about Lexie?"

"She's not on today," April said as she looked over the chart in her hand.

"What about you?"

"Me? Uh, well," April started to hem and haw.

"Hands off my resident, Sloan," a female voice called. "Kepner, you did get my request, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did, Dr. Fields. Welcome back, by the way. Nice tan," April smiled.

"Thank you," Lucy Fields smiled. "Mark."

"Lucy," Mark nodded curtly.

"Oh and you just missed your chance at Dr. Mostow, Dr. Sloan," April said as she read her phone.

"What?"

"Dr. Torres needs some help in ortho," April smiled. "Steve, get moving."

The man nodded and headed for the stairs.

"Well, I better get to work," Mark excused himself.

April waited until Mark was gone before she turned to Lucy, "Thank you so much. You really saved me."

"I heard Jackson and Alex talking about the unofficial Sloan Strike. I like Lexie, so I figured I'd help out a little," Lucy smiled. "And I do need a resident."

"I am all yours," April smiled.

"Great, let's go," Lucy motioned.

-x-x-x-

Lexie opened the door to Foxy Roxy's Hair Haven and smiled. It hadn't changed since her last visit. She looked around saw a black teenager at the reception desk.

"Hi. Is Roxy around?" she asked.

The girl looked up and smiled, "Lexie, right?"

"How did you know?"

"Your picture's on the wall of honor. You look much better as a brunette," the younger girl smiled.

Lexie smiled, "Thanks. Lesson for you; don't let Roxy get you drunk when she's around hair dye."

"I'll remember that. I'm Destiny."

"Oh of course," Lexie nodded in recognition. "How's Drew?"

"He's great. He's growing so much. He's with his grandparents right now. I'm going to pick him up as soon as Rama gets here."

Lexie nodded and looked around.

"Roxy's in back," Destiny told her.

"Thanks," Lexie smiled as she headed that way. She found the back where the laundry was done and the supplies were stored. "Aunt Rox?"

Roxy Balsom looked up and smiled, "There's my girl! Why didn't you call me? I woulda come and got you."

Lexie let herself be swept up in a bear hug from the older blonde woman, "I took a cab. I was fine."

"I am so glad you're here. It gets so lonely around here now that Rex and Gigi are over in London with Shane, and Natty's spending more and more time in Port Charles with John."

"I'm glad I'm here, too. It'll be nice to be around family," Lexie smiled.

"Speaking of family, how's Meredith? I'm sorry she couldn't come with you. I ain't seen her since Thatcher and Ellis split up. I sent her a card when I heard Ellis died. It was more for Meredith than Ellis. I never liked that woman. Not from the day Thatcher brought her home," Roxy shook her head.

"Roxy? As bad as she may have been, she was still my sister's mother," Lexie reminded her.

"I'll be good, Lexie," Roxy promised. "All your stuff got here. I put it in Johnny's old place at the motel."

"Okay," Lexie nodded. "But you know I can't live in John's old apartment forever, right? I will need a house at some point."

"I've already started looking for ya. Angel Square has a lot of houses you can look at."

Lexie smiled, "Okay. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, and I start work on Tuesday. They already know about my condition and are willing to work with me."

"Who's gonna be taking care of you?"

"Vivian Wright," Lexie said. "Lucy recommended her. She said they went to med school together."

"She's great. She delivered Drew."

"Always good to have a second opinion, even yours, Rox," Lexie smirked. "Come on. Let's go eat something. I'm famished."

"Let's go to the Buenos Dias," Roxy suggested.

"Sounds great," Lexie agreed.

-x-x-x-x-

"I'm gonna kill him," Meredith said as she plopped herself down next to Cristina who was sitting on the couch in the waiting room of the Dermatology suites.

"You can't," Cristina pointed out.

"I can make it look like an accident."

"Maybe. But if you can't, Zola, Derek, and I will spend the next thirty years talking to you through glass. Also? You'll lose your medical license."

"No," Meredith shook her head. "I'll get off. It's justifiable homicide."

"How?"

"Defense of others," Meredith told him. "I am defending all women from the slime ball that is my husband's best friend."

"Why is it when he does something wrong he's Derek's best friend and not just Mark?"

"Because he's the reason I know him. You know what? This mess can be blamed in part on Addison."

"Okay. Can I ask why?"

"She followed Derek, and Mark followed her," Meredith theorized. She sighed in resignation as the rational party of her brain kicked in. "Alright, I won't kill him."

"Good."

"But I'm getting Bailey to help me slice off his family jewels," Meredith said with a sly grin.

"Why do I think she'd not only help you with that, but she'd take a little bit of perverted pleasure in it?"

"'Cause _it's Bailey_," Meredith giggled.

"Feel better?"

"Yes, I do. A tiny bit," Meredith held up her thumb and forefinger with almost no space between them.

"Lexie's going to be okay," Cristina told her.

"Yeah," Meredith said morosely. "I need to relax."

"Go down to daycare. See your daughter."

"No, because Sofia's down there too so there's the chance that Mark will walk in."

"You want to see if we can find someone who will let us cut someone open?" Cristina asked after a moment.

"No," Meredith shook her head. "Let's just sit here. It's oddly soothing."

"It's the no blood lust thing. Gives you the warm and gooeys," Cristina frowned.

-x-x-x-x-

"Owen, have you seen my wife?" Derek asked of his chief.

"No. Have you seen mine?"

"No."

The surgeons frowned at one another.

"Lobby?" Derek posed.

"Checked," Owen shook his head. "Cafeteria?"

"On fish stick day? No way," Derek rejected the thought. "OR?"

"Their names aren't on the board," Owen shot the notion down. "Tunnels?"

"I found Karev who said he hadn't seen them down there all day. Gallery?"

"I checked when I saw they weren't on the board," Owen told him. "This is crazy. The hospital's not that big. We should be able to find them."

"Excuse me, Dr. Shepherd?" Debbie, one of the nurses, walked up to them.

"Yes?"

"Your wife requests that you page her when you're ready to go home for the evening."

"Do you know where she is?"

"I heard Dr. Yang say something about Dr. Pepman, so I'm assuming they're doing something in Dermatology."

"Thanks Debbie. Have a good night," Derek smiled.

"Why would our wives be in Dermatology?" Owen asked.

"It's this thing they started doing a while back. They go there to calm down and remind themselves why they like being surgeons when they have a bad day. Right now, my wife wants to kill Mark," Derek explained as he dialed Meredith's pager number.

"So do half the residents," Owen said. "Kepner's keeping everyone but Mark in residents."

"I take it he complained to you?"

"Yes. April's having them all draw straws tonight and whoever gets the shortest one has to put up with Sloan without knocking him on his ass tomorrow," Owen nodded.

"I'd pay real money to see one of the female residents knock Mark on his ass," Derek nodded.

"Me too," Owen agreed. "She's letting Cristina, Meredith, Alex, and Jackson off the hook because they are either related, friends, or once slept together."

"That's decent of her," Derek replied. "And speaking of Mark, here he comes."

Owen looked up to see the plastics attending walking towards them, "He asked me to be a groomsman."

"I'm the best man."

"Congratulations. Be sure to show up this time."

"Funny. But speaking of showing up, I'm trying to figure out how to explain that even with my role in the wedding, Meredith will not be attending."

"Derek, what is with your wife?" Mark asked.

"And hello to you, too," Derek nodded.

"Meredith keeps calling me 'Dr. Sloan'," Mark frowned.

"You're her superior. She should call you Dr. Sloan," Owen pointed out.

"Thank you, Major Hunt. But Meredith has never called me Dr. Sloan in the entire time that I've known her. She always calls me Mark, and once when she was high on morphine she called me McSteamy."

"McSteamy?" Owen questioned.

"It's a nickname that our wives and Izzie came up with the first time Mark ever appeared here at Seattle Grace. If I remember correctly, he was here to get my ex-wife to go back to New York with him but found it necessary to hit on Meredith first."

"That was a long time ago. Grey girls are more trouble than I can handle."

"True," Derek nodded as he patted Mark's shoulder. "Stick with Julia. She's nice and uncomplicated. I have to go meet Meredith in daycare."

"I'll come with you," Owen joined him. "Maybe I can find my own wife."

"Wait, Derek. There was something I wanted to ask you about," Mark said.

"If this is about your bachelor party, I am not calling a stripper. Meredith would have the locks changed."

Owen laughed as they walked.

"You don't have to worry about a bachelor party. Julia nixed it."

"Smart woman," Owen nodded.

"Whatever," Mark rolled his eyes. "Look, Derek, I need your opinion on something."

"Okay, what is it?"

"I want to surprise her with a house, and I need some help picking it out. I'd ask Torres but she and Robbins are looking for their own home. Apparently they need more room since Robbins is going to pop any day now."

"What a wonderful way to put it," Derek rolled his eyes. "No wonder all my sisters slapped you upside the head when they were pregnant."

"Including Amelia," Owen reminded the men. "During surgery if I remember right."

"He deserved it," Meredith said as she appeared holding Zola and Cristina walked up behind them. "Home, please?"

"Come along my girls," Derek motioned.

"Dinner," Owen suggested to Cristina.

"Italian?" Cristina posed.

"Sounds perfect," Owen nodded. "Night Mark."

"Night," Mark echoed as he watched them all walk away. For some reason he couldn't help feeling a little lonely as he turned and walked in the opposite direction.


End file.
